Her World Women of the Year 2025 exhibition: What defines the modern Singaporean woman?

What’s in a name? For Her World, it’s 65 years of stories, style, and Singapore spirit. 

Since its first issue in July 1960, the magazine has chronicled the shifting landscape of womanhood – from homemakers to hustlers, from quiet ambition to unapologetic independence.

To mark this milestone, Her World staged a one-off retrospective exhibition titled “Defining Eras, Inspiring Change”, held at Equarius Hotel, Resorts World Sentosa, in conjunction with the Her World Women of the Year Awards 2025.

Powered by Shopee, the showcase brought together six decades of Her World’s most defining moments – cover stories, cultural turning points, and the women who shaped Singapore’s social and style history.

A legacy of empowerment

Spanning the 1960s to today, the exhibition unfolded chronologically, with each section spotlighting the mood and milestones of its era. Visitors could trace Her World’s evolution from its early years – when covers reflected refinement and domesticity – to the bold statements of later decades, celebrating ambition, individuality, and social change.

More than 700 issues later (772, to be exact), the publication has mirrored Singapore’s own transformation. From advocating women’s rights to charting fashion revolutions and workplace progress, Her World has documented not just trends, but turning points.

Two rows of 32 life-sized panels chronicled the history of Her World, honouring the women who have stepped forward to shape Singapore’s past, present, and future. From the beginnings of women’s rights activism in the 1960s to the innovators, leaders, and glass-ceiling breakers of today, the exhibition traced six and a half decades of progress and possibility.

Striking cover portraits of local icons like Madam Halimah Yacob, Tan Kheng Hua, and Fann Wong adorned the panels, bringing each era vividly to life. The showcase spoke volumes about the enduring influence of women’s media – celebrating past Her World Woman of the Year honourees, including activists, athletes, entrepreneurs, and community leaders, alongside trailblazers who continue to define what comes next.

Reflecting on the exhibition’s celebration of empowerment, aesthetic doctor Shauna Tan – a guest at the Women of the Year 2025 gala – pointed to the magazine’s enduring core values. “The theme of women empowerment has been there from the start, and it’s nice to see that it has not changed despite the years and many other changes in society,” she said.

Recalling her own mother’s loyalty to Her World as a reader, Shauna added that it was heartening to see the magazine evolve with the times while staying true to its core mission of empowering women.

Similarly, award-winning author and August 2025 cover star Simone Heng noted how the exhibition captured the magazine’s dual focus on style and substance. “It just brings you back,” she shared. “Her World was always thought upon as a reputable women’s publication that had a lot of style, but also had a lot of substance. And I think that’s still true today.”

The showcase also arrives at a moment of cultural reflection in Singapore – notably alongside Dick Lee’s SingaPop! exhibition at the ArtScience Museum, which celebrates 60 years of Singapore’s pop culture. A striking wall of Her World covers – featuring Iman Fandi, Chantalle Ng, Joanne Peh, and more – stretches across the decades, tracing the evolution of Singaporean fashion, femininity, and confidence. Each cover is a snapshot of its era, capturing style, ambition, and shifting ideals of womanhood.

The section also includes a digital scrapbook of Lee’s own work with the now-defunct local label Ping Pong, a playful, genre-blurring project that brought pop sensibility to homegrown design – with Her World appearing prominently throughout. 

Reflecting on the magazine’s impact in a previous interview, Lee told Her World: “When I was thinking about how we looked and how we dressed, Her World came to mind immediately… I grew up with it. It showed me how fashion evolved here, and how Singaporean women came into their own.”

Together, the exhibitions chart parallel narratives where culture and identity intersect: one of Singaporean creativity and one of women’s evolving confidence.

Looking ahead

The anniversary celebration continues beyond the exhibition. 

On Thursday, 6 November, Her World and Shopee will co-host a panel titled “How to Thrive on Live” – featuring artiste Bonnie Loo, as well as content creators Angel and Nicole Changmin, moderated by Her World’s editor-in-chief Elizabeth Lee.

The session will explore how three women turned their passions into real earnings through the power of authentic livestreaming – proof that empowerment, once printed on pages, now streams live.

Then and now

In her opening address at the Her World Women of the Year Awards gala, editor-in-chief Elizabeth Lee reflected on the exhibition, calling it “a reminder of how our platform has evolved alongside the women of Singapore.”

Sixty-five years on, Her World is more than just ink on glossy pages – but a reflection of ambition, a spotlight on beauty, and a testament to women’s resilience. Through fashion, storytelling, and advocacy, it continues to evolve with its readers, proving that empowerment never goes out of style.